Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Where to go
The vast majority of visitors fly in to cosmopolitan
Panama City
, where countless brash sky-
scrapers stare across the bay at the rocky peninsula of
Casco Viejo
, the city's rapidly trans-
forming colonial centre, whose elegantly restored mansions, palaces and leafy plazas demand
at least a day's leisurely exploration. If you're planning a short visit, it's easy to base yourself
in the city and make daily forays to the Spanish
colonial forts
along the Caribbean coast near
Portobelo, the monumental
Panama Canal
and the crumbling port city of
Colón
. Should the
frenetic energy and interminable traffic din of the city's clogged arteries get too much, a quiet
day lounging on a
Pacific beach
, birdwatching in the
Parque Nacional Soberanía
or fish-
ing on
Lago Gatún
are all possible without forgoing the epicurean delights of the capital's
sophisticated bars and restaurants in the evening.
After Panama City, the country's most popular tourist area is the Caribbean archipelago of
Bocas del Toro
, close to the Costa Rican border. Its deserted stretches of sand, powerful surf
and colourful coral reefs are matched by an oft-forgotten mainland that offers opportunit-
ies for spectacular wilderness hiking as well as wildlife viewing in the Humedales de San
San Pond Sak. Bocas's bohemian vibe and Afro-Caribbean culture contrasts with the vast
stretch of
Guna Yala
, an archipelago that extends for hundreds of kilometres and is home to
Panama's most politically independent and culturally distinct indigenous people, the Guna.
Its densely populated islands provide a base from which to explore picture-postcard cays of
white-sand beaches and coconut palms. With more time, you can explore the less accessible
aquatic wonderlands of the Pacific coast, with world-class scuba diving and sport fishing in
the mangrove-rich protected marine parks of the
Golfo de Chiriquí
and
Coiba
, the penal
colony turned wildlife reserve, generally reached from the laidback surfing hotspot of
Santa
Catalina
.
From there it's a short hop east to the rolling pastureland and quaint villages of the
Azuero
Peninsula
, a region that revels in its colonial heritage. Once neglected by visitors, its fest-
ivals, including the country's most ardent Carnaval, overflow with enthusiastic accordion and
violin playing, colourful costumes, masks, rodeos and lashings of seco - Panama's potent na-
tional tipple - and provide ample opportunities to interact with the outgoing locals.
The dorsal mountain range dividing Panama's two coasts rises dramatically from the Pacific
coastal plains that constitute the country's agricultural heartlands, with the most impressive
peaks located in the spectacular
national parks
of Chiriquí's
Western Highlands
, surround-
ing the alpine towns of
Boquete
and the less touristed
Cerro Punta
. Here it's hard to resist
the allure of verdant cloud forests filled with orchids, quetzals and hummingbirds, precision
rows of shade-grown coffee plantations and fast-flowing rivers, perfect for whitewater rafting
or kayaking. Further east, the
Cordillera Central
hosts other parks and rainforested peaks
